After rising up through Disney’s stable of button-cute young talent and making three pop-rock albums as the frontwoman of Selena Gomez & the Scene, Gomez is out to develop a more mature persona with Stars Dance, a dance party firmly rooted in house and EDM influences. Sassy opening track “Birthday” comes bounding out of the gate with funky worldbeat blasts reminiscent of Santigold. The dancehall-tinged “Like a Champion” evokes Rihanna, right down to its “rum-pa-pa-pum” chorus and references to “shining like diamonds in the sky”. Even in its break-up songs, the soaring “Forget Forever” and the wistful “Love Will Remember”, an irresistible beat is always just around the corner. But Gomez is primarily here to party, from the taunting na-na-na’s of the Eastern-flavoured “Come & Get It” to the throbbing bass of “B.E.A.T.”.
